Refresh: Begin today in prayer. Ask God for understanding through the Holy Spirit and for God’s character to be revealed.

Read:Acts 6:1-7 in the New International Version (NIV). Note 1–3 insights or questions.

Reflect: The internal conflicts of the church have changed over time. At least I would like to believe that. I have, however, visited some churches and discovered that they have found a way to control time and have locked themselves in the year 1632 B.C. I had a call this week from a person whom I had never before met. They wanted me to help with an exorcism. They were calling every church, one at a time, trying to find a willing pastor. I should preface this by saying that Pastor Jessyka answered the phone, but the individual really wanted to talk to a “male” pastor. I am a male, so the call landed with me. This individual does not believe in the whole Bible. He considers the apostle Paul to be a liar. He insists that Jesus wanted male pastors only. The call ended with the person railing on the phone how he hoped that I would learn from his ten years of discovery and repent of my ways. Then he hung up. This man was locked into a debate that was settled centuries ago and couldn’t hear another perspective.

I have met so many people like that. People who will decide that some issue is the most important thing in the world. This is the hill that we must all climb together. No matter how little training we have had or how poor the weather conditions appear. Now is the time. This is the cave we must all enter. No matter how dark and scary it may be, or claustrophobic you might be, entering the cave is a must.

What kinds of things do we fight about? Music. The length of the sermon. The order of the service. The color of the church building. Many of you are probably thinking “how silly,” but all of these are important issues and deeply personal to some people. The list continues: leadership, church officers, budget allocation, educational subsidies, LGBTQ membership, women’s ordination, theological interpretation, evangelism styles, etc. The most important thing we can do as a church community is to follow the Acts 6 principle and address our differences. We may not find answers or agreements, but we will find a way to exist.

Recalibrate: What do you want your local church to address? How will you make sure the issue is not ignored?

Respond: Pray for a healthy community.

Research: What does being full of the Holy Spirit mean?

Recharge: Wonder/Adventure/Purpose

Draw a prayer picture with your child today. Draw how awesome you think God is, what you are thankful for, what you are sorry for, and what you need help with. Ask your child to tell you about what they are drawing and why.

Draw a picture of your church that fills up the whole page! Now draw or write some of the most important things about church. Why are they important to you? If church could have just one thing, what would you want it to be?

Ask you parents to tell you about their first cell phone. Now compare it to your phone or their newest one. It took a lot of dreaming and hard work to get the cool phones we have now. Can you imagine how much cooler they’ll be in five years? Now imagine what your church will look like in five year. What can you do to make it more focused on Jesus and super cool?